Jamie Carragher on Mohamed Salah's Move to Trabzonspor: A Missed Opportunity?
Jamie Carragher did not bother to dress it up.
“I never believed he was going to go to Saudi, because number one, he's too good for that. I think he can be playing in Serie A. Turkey for me feels a level too low,” the former Liverpool defender told the Football Ramble, laying bare his surprise at Mohamed Salah’s decision to join Trabzonspor.
For Carragher, this isn’t just a left‑field transfer. It’s a missed opportunity for one of the defining forwards of his generation to keep trading blows at the very top.
“Too good for that”
Trabzonspor have pulled off a coup. There is no disputing that. A club that finished third in the Super Lig last season has convinced the “Egyptian King” to swap Anfield for the Black Sea coast on a reported €17 million‑per‑year deal, and will wheel him straight into a Europa League campaign.
Carragher, though, cannot shake the feeling that Salah has turned away from a different kind of stage.
“I was convinced he'd end up at an AC Milan or Juventus or somewhere like that, maybe his wages were a problem,” he said. “I don't know him, obviously have never spoken to him. But he's like Ronaldo, he's so driven, his numbers mean so much to him. I thought, he can still do this in Turkey by the way, but I thought he'd want to play at a real prestigious club.”
That comparison with Cristiano Ronaldo is telling. In Carragher’s eyes, the blueprint was clear: stay at a “prestigious” institution, keep stacking goals and trophies, keep your name in lights. Instead, Salah has chosen a different route, away from the traditional big five leagues.
Prestige versus paycheque
The heart of Carragher’s criticism is simple. He believes Salah is trading the relentless scrutiny and sharp edges of elite competition for a lucrative package in a league that will not test him in quite the same way.
To make the move happen, Trabzonspor have reportedly assembled a contract worth €17 million per year. This comes not long after Salah walked away from a £400,000‑a‑week offer at Liverpool, a decision that suggested he still craved the highest level rather than the highest bidder.
“Obviously his wage demands have put a few people off but I thought he might almost curb those demands a little bit to almost get a better club,” Carragher continued. “To go to an AC Milan or Juventus or whoever it may be, play at the San Siro, still playing in big games, still playing in Europe. Turkey just feels like... I just think he's better than that.”
The Europa League will give Salah some continental exposure, but Carragher’s argument is about the grind between those Thursday nights. The weekly rhythm. The stadiums. The pressure. He sees a player still capable of dictating games in Serie A, now operating in what he views as a softer environment.
A king without a crown to chase?
If Carragher sounds harsh, it’s because he knows exactly what Salah is walking away from. On Merseyside, the forward leaves behind a complete collection: Premier League, Champions League, every major trophy Liverpool could offer. He departs as a legend, his numbers and his moments etched into club folklore.
Now he steps into a very different kind of kingdom. In Turkey’s football‑mad north, Trabzonspor fans have already elevated him to near‑mythical status. The scenes at Istanbul Atatürk Airport underlined that. The reception was wild, the adoration instant. For them, this is not a step down; it is a dream signing.
Salah will not be alone, either. He will reunite with familiar Premier League faces, including Manchester United loanee Andre Onana and former Manchester City defender Stefan Savic. The dressing room will not feel entirely alien, even if the surroundings do.
Trabzonspor’s gamble
From Trabzonspor’s side, this is a statement of intent. They last lifted the Super Lig title in 2022 and have watched Galatasaray and Fenerbahce reassert their weight. Closing that gap requires more than noise and nostalgia. It needs a star capable of deciding a title race almost on his own.
They are betting heavily that Salah is still that player.
Carragher is not convinced by the choice of stage, but the stage itself is ready. A legendary goalscorer in a new league, a club desperate to topple Istanbul’s giants, a fanbase already treating him like a deity.
If Salah turns that belief into trophies, the question will not be why he left the big five leagues. It will be what, exactly, can stop him rewriting the map on his own terms.
